Ricky’s Blog

Summer had ended and school was back in full swing. For my family, last summer was a great summer ever. The summer began with a bang - our boys went to camp Dry Gulch in Oklahoma. While they were at camp, Cyd and I took a trip to Louisiana to spend time with my parents and to work on the first draft of my book. Because "Summer Adventure", our vacation bible school, was happening two weeks after camp, we decided, along with my brother Reggie, to invite our nephew Ryan to "Summer Adventure". Ryan lives in Lousiana. It would be Ryan's first extended stay away from home.

On the first day of VBS, our house was buzzing with the activity of six rambunctous Texada boys. There was Seth and Caleb(my boys), Rylan and Ross( Reggie's boys), Ridge(my brother Keith's son) and Ryan(Bubba's son). The lively conversations that these boys, ranging in age from 10(Seth) to 6(Ross), were having in our house, transferred to our SUV. Jokes were being told and stories about school experiences were shared. With Caleb around, there was no doubt going to be a discussion regarding Legos. I enjoyed the chatter and commraderie shared by the cousins. Once we arrived at the church, one by one those who were in the 3rd row seat began to climb over the 2nd row seats before I could give instructions regarding exiting the vehicle. As they filed out of the truck, I took a mental snap shot and from that moment everything appeared to shift to slow motion.

As I studied each boy, their height, the size of their feet, the clothes they wore, each with their own patented laugh and smile, a thought struck me like a lightening bolt racing across a darkened sky. I reflected on the thought: "in about 8 years, these little boys would be strapping teenagers. They wouldn't be going to VBS, they would likely be the teenagers helping to facilitate it. They wouldn't need me to drive them every where; they would be driving themselves. They wouldn't be asking, "Dad, what are we going to do? Or, will you play with us? They would be saying, "Dad, I'm going over to my friends, I'll see you later!"

I've always done my best to be in the moment while interacting with my boys. I've always been grateful to the Lord for blessing me with kids when I thought my chances to be a biological Father had passed. Now, standing in the parking lot of my church, a greater urgency gripped me.

Make every moment count; because, They Grow Up Too Fast!

It has been said that at the end of our lives, we will not have wished for more money in the bank or and larger home. We will not have hoped for more time to travel or desired to close one more business deal. The only thing that matters at the end of our lives are the relationships that we have developed and nurtured. My prayer is that you are keeping the main thing, the main thing. Family is important; take the time necessary to build your family in a way to create a lasting legacy for generations to come.

There are many people who think that Christianity is for the weak and feeble and is used as a crutch to make life happen. When someone conveys a thought or mindset that perpetuates that idea, I'm reminded that some of the worst dictators in the history of the world thought the same.

I love the fact that I am a Christian. I am a Christ follower. Am I perfect? Absolutely not; at least not based upon my own deeds. I am perfect because of my union with Christ. He has advocated for me before our Heavenly Father and He, Jesus, now credits His perfection to me. Christianity is a beautful expression of relationship and communion with the Creator of the universe.

As I study the scripture, I'm always fascinated by the paradoxes presented in the writings of those men inspired by the Holy Spirit. Here are a few:

To be elevated in the Kingdom of God, you must be submitted; in other words, if you want to rise in the Kingdom, you must fall.

In order live life like it was meant to be lived by our Creator, you must die to your old ways and mindsets.

When you give things away you continue to increase; another way of saying this is, when you debit your account you actually receive a credit to the account.

My word of encouragement to you is to continue to grow in your relationship with Our Heavenly Father and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge will be released to you.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 declares that "two is better than one..." The scripture proceeds to talk about the economic, emotional and physical benefit of having someone in your corner through the ups and downs in life. In fact, God has created us to be interdependent. What does it mean to be interdependent? It means that in relationships, I'm not just on the receiving end, but I'm on the giving end as well. In this type of relationship my strengths cover for my partner/friend's weaknesses and their strengths cover my weaknesses.

It has been said that we only develop two or three deep, meaningful relationships in a lifetime. One of the significant relationships in my life is my wife, Cyd. She is smart, caring, conscientious, loyal, patience, organized and fun. Because of her, I'm a better man, a better person, a better father and husband. She inspires me to be the best that I can be and I'm grateful for the words of encouragement that she continually confers on me. She is my best friend.

I would love to know who has inspired and encouraged you and why?